With Friends Like These
by mangyhalfbreed
Summary: The Full Moon has come once more and Remus Lupin is faced with yet another transformation. Though the pain is excruciating, unbearable.. his friends never leave his side.


It was Summer. Fifteen year old Remus trembled as he lay on the floor of his basement, the cold concrete chilling his bare skin. The night of the Full Moon had come yet again. And like the dutiful, loyal best friends they are - the Marauders found a way to Moony's home for his hours of need. And he really _did _need them. "Padfoot," Remus groaned in agony, writhing on the ground. The black dog let out a soft whimper, lowering himself so that he could nuzzle Remus' cheek.

James, the stag, stood off to the side with big, sad eyes. Being so bulky limits him as to what he can do, how much comfort he can give the werewolf. It's not really easy to nuzzle or nudge someone with antlers sticking out of the top of your head, obviously. And Peter is so small that he's of no use at all at this point, to be quite honest. No, Padfoot, _Sirius_, Remus' very best friend.. He was the one to always help Remus through the pain.

"Padfoot, help me!_ Please!_" Remus cried desperately, grasping a fistful of the mutt's coarse black fur, every nerve-ending on his body screaming out in protest as he felt his flesh morph to fur, his limbs elongating. By now he was growing delusional which wasn't entirely uncommon. Some transformations are worse than others. Sirius whimpered again loudly several times - signaling that if there were _any _way he could switch places with Remus and withstand this torture instead of him, he would.

_"HELP ME!"_ He screamed out to no one in particular as he usually did during his transformation - the sounds of his mother sobbing from upstairs rang loudly. No matter how many times it happened, she could never grow used to hearing her child wallowing in such despair. John, Remus' father, never fared much better. He always saw it as his fault that his son suffers.. If only he hadn't quarreled with Greyback.. But Remus never blamed his Dad, though. Not once.

His eyes flashed from their familiar calm, oceanic blue to a deep golden, his canines tearing the skin of his lower lip and drawing blood. His heartbeat sped up rapidly - everything suddenly seeming so much louder. His head was going to explode. Oh, he was surely going to die!_ Help me, help, help, help.. _Just when he thought he had perished, a piercing howl echoed throughout the home. Moony was _here. _The humongous wolf peered around the room, staggering to his feet. Suddenly, Moony's tail began to wag violently in excitement. He knew these animals! The hound, the stag, the rat - why, they're his playmates! The brown wolf out let out a yip of excitement and nudged Padfoot with his snout.

Really, for these four best friends, their night was just beginning.

Remus awoke the next morning in bed, dressed in pajamas. He felt so tired; his very _bones _were exhausted. He opened his eyes only to see Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail snoring around him. The year before, Remus' parents allowed him to transfigure his bed into a king sized one - since his friends spent the night constantly. They're not just his friends.. No, they're _brothers._

"Awake then, eh?" Remus suddenly glanced to his left to see Sirius propped up on an elbow. Remus gasped in shock to see his best friend's arm in a sling.

"What happened?" He hissed through a whisper, careful not to wake James and Peter.

"It's nothing, really. Your mum healed me this morning, says I only need to wear this for a day or two just to be safe. Ole Moony just got a bit too playful last night. We were only wrestling is all." Sirius said with a smile and Remus recoiled in horror. He hated hurting them.. Whether it was intentional or not, he _hated it_.

"Padfoot.. Padfoot, I'm so_ sorry_.." He said miserably, blue optics nearly misting with tears.

Sirius caught this and gave him a shove. "Oi! Quit that, will ya'? I'm fine, these idiots are fine," he said while gesturing towards Prongs and Wormtail, "and _you're _fine, mate. Don't get all emotional on me." He said teasingly.

Remus could not help the small grin that tugged at his lips. How he had gotten so lucky as to accumulate friends like these, he'll never know. "Who's getting emotional?" He said with a fake scoff, eyes brightening.

Sirius laughed - waking up the James. "Can't you see that I'm trying to sleep?" He whined lazily, glasses unbelievably crooked and hair disheveled beyond all repair.

"You sleep enough for all four of us, James." Remus said with a roll of his eyes. Padfoot snickered and pushed James off the bed - he landed with quite the_ thud_. Remus and Sirius roared in laughter and Peter sat up, startled.

"Is it breakfast time already?" The plump boy asked.. which only caused Moony and Padfoot to laugh harder while James leaped to his feet and shouted in displeasure.

This was just normal time with the Marauders.


End file.
